WATCH: How this machine could eat into the 900-MILE pothole backlog in Kirklees

A new machine could be the key to winning the battle to repair Kirklees’ pothole-riddled roads, with 40,000 potholes reported to the Council each year and most repaired by hand. Kirklees Council revealed last month it has a 900 mile backlog of roads that need repairing.

Now a new machine – the Multihog – is being tested to see if it is the answer to speeding up the rate at which holes are filled in whilst also doing the highest quality repair.

Last year Kirklees Council trialled a number of different methods for improving the repairs of potholes to make them longer lasting.

Of all the options trialled, the Multihog, a small planing machine, was deemed the best. The Multihog grinds out a larger area around the pothole to form a more stable repair. This means that the council is less likely to have to revisit the same area twice to fix potholes that have formed later in the surrounding road surface.

Clr Mus Khan, cabinet member responsible for highways, said: “The trial last year allowed us to test a range of equipment and methods for dealing with one of the biggest problems facing our roads.

“Whilst we still have a backlog of repairs I am confident that this work will have a positive impact on the condition of Kirklees’ roads.

“I look forward to the results of the next stage of the trial and would like to thank all the staff who have undertaken training on the new equipment and shown commitment to using new ways of working.”

The Multihog will now face a further four months of extensive testing across Kirklees, so that the council can further evaluate its performance on pothole repairs and other road repairs.

This extended evaluation will then inform the decision about the methods the council will use for repairing their roads in the future.

This machine will be out and about working area by area across Kirklees, but the council will also continue to use the nationally approved hand repair process during this period.

This is to help them to make sure that the pothole repair backlog can be effectively managed, particularly with the winter weather, which damages the roads, not far away.